University economists and commodity specialists will talk about the financial health of Wisconsin agriculture and the outlook for the year to come at the seventh annual Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Forum on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street.

The program, organized by the UW-Madison’s Renk Agribusiness Institute, coincides with the release of the 2014 Status of Wisconsin Agriculture, a situation and outlook report prepared by the university’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

There are two parts to the event. A pre-forum luncheon, which runs from 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., requires pre-registration and payment of $15.00. The forum itself, which runs from 1 – 4 p.m., requires pre-registration and is free of cost.

The luncheon program consists of a panel discussion titled “Understanding the Revolution in Wisconsin Dairying” moderated by Mark Stephenson, Director of the UW Center for Dairy Profitability. Also on the panel are Ben Brancel, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Corey Geiger, managing editor of Hoard’s Dairyman.

The afternoon forum will look at how last year went for the state’s farmers and the major commodities produced here and how things are expected to fare in the year ahead. Experts from UW-Madison and UW-Extension will talk about farm income; farm inputs and services; dairy; livestock; corn and soybeans; and fruits and vegetables.